Maidstone Bus Station temporary closure

[Derek Jones]

The Mall bus station will close for refurbishment for 3 months starting on Monday 22^nd March.

A public information poster will be displayed at stops and a copy is attached, including a map showing the positions of additional stops (K1 and G are as existing, but G1/G2/G3 and X/K2/K3 will be temporary stops).

Departures from the area of King Street outside the Mall for the duration (currently planned for up to and including Sunday 20^th June) will be as follows:

 

Westbound (towards High Street):

• G1 [outside Townhouse Hotel] – to be used for temporary waiting only between trips
• G2 [outside Monckton House] – buses via Tonbridge Road including Arriva 3, 6, 7, 8, Autocar 266
• G3 [outside MBC Gateway building] – buses via London Road including Arriva 71, 71A, 72.
• G [outside Boots] - as existing - Arriva X1, 79, London Road Park & Ride, Market Shuttle & Autocar 24 to Lockmeadow, Nu-Venture 78, 79C, 88, 130, Farleigh B150

Eastbound (towards Andrew Broughton Way):

• X [Church Street] – Arriva 85 towards Shepway & Senacre Wood, and buses towards Maidstone Grammar School (AM)
• K1 [opposite Boots] – as existing plus other buses towards Ashford Road or Sittingbourne Road - Arriva 4, 9, 11, Willington Street Park & Ride, Stagecoach 10X, Detling Shopper; and buses towards Invicta Grammar School (AM)
• K2 [outside King’s Lodge] – buses via Sutton Road - Arriva 12, 82, Nu-Venture 13, Autocar 24
• K3 [outside Galleon House] – buses via Loose Road - Arriva 5, 89

Other services will terminate elsewhere – 155 & 334 at Lower Stone Street (155 looping via Mill Street, Palace Avenue, Lower Stone Street and Knightrider Street; 334 in both directions via Wat Tyler Way, in via Romney Place and return via Mote Road). Nu-Venture 23 group will run non-stop from Starbucks (King Street) L3 to Lower Stone Street without using the temporary stops.

Derek J

[JFO]

Thanks Derek, and while trying to figure some of this out with the help of Google Maps, I noticed that clicking on the "Departure Board" for the virtual Bus Stop Flags along the route of Route 155, would appear to show that Arriva is now the Only operator of Route 155, with the still operating Evening trips now shown as being Arriva operated instead of Nu Venture Buses, so who's confused Me or Google Maps?

[Group_owner]

James, you obviously have a different version of Google Maps to mine, which doesn't shown any information about operators at all, just route numbers and departure times from the stop!

Can you provide us with a screenshot showing what you are looking at, and a URL (i.e. www address) of the relevant web page?

Derek J

[Group_owner]

I've now looked at Google Maps in more detail and have found the reference to operators, but this isn't on the Departure Board information for specific journeys, it's above the Departure Board button itself.  Look at other services with journeys by more than one operator  - e.g. Stagecoach 5 that is run by Regent on Sundays, where you will see it only mentions Stagecoach.  So it's a limitation of Google Maps in only showing one operator per service, not a change to anything.

Moral - don't treat online information (or the absence of something from it) too literally!

Derek J